Chris Grayling: did he mean what he said? Either way, it’s the same old Tories
06.04.10 - John, Unions Together
Chris Grayling, the Tory shadow Home Secretary, made headlines this weekend after it was revealed that he supported the right of B&B owners to turn away gay and lesbian couples. Speaking to a right-wing think tank, Grayling was secretly taped saying that B&B owners should have to right to decide "who does and who doesn't come into their home".
Of course, as the Tories' chosen heir to the Home Office throne, Grayling should well know that, under regulations introduced by Labour (and, of course, opposed by the Tories) any business, even one run from home, cannot discriminate based on sexual orientation, and they're also prohibited from discriminating on other grounds, such as race and religion.
Many on the blogosphere have accused Grayling of being a homophobe, but it’s not as simple as that. The truth is, Grayling rebelled against his party and voted for the very regulations that prohibit this kind of discrimination. Yet, when faced with a gaggle of right-wing true believers, he claimed to oppose the very tenets of the legislation he voted for.
The Tories say one thing and do another. Can you really trust them? The Home Secretary is a major office of state, with huge powers over our lives . Can we really afford to have someone who says one thing and does another in such a key position? The answer is a clear 'no!'. Equality isn’t negotiable.
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More information
A record of who voted which way on the "Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations", the legislation banning business from discriminating against LGBT people: The Public Whip
An article going in depth on the comments and the reaction: The Guardian
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